Perbacco and Barbacco Restaurants Review

We cross early with our kids to overcome the crowd. Highly propose which you make a reservation on the weekend and attempt this vicinity.

Their fresh made pastas are a little bit on the salty side, but they have perfect consistency and the sauces are expertly made. It gets packed in there so it can be noisy, but service was wonderful and we had a great time.

Food and service were exceptional. We arrived and were immediately greeted for our lunch. Food came out very quick and was delicious. Bonus points goes to staff for helping us retrieve our phone. Thanks!

A "more economical" Perbacco - but a great alternative; though small - a res a must - but great sharing plates.

Nice Italian restaurant in the Financial District. The Hamachi crudo with Uni was very tasty and the truffle gnocchi was good as well, although I preferred the short rib pappardelle. The food came to the table ridiculously fast which might explain why I didn't realize how stuffed I was until half-way through a delicious burnt caramel gelato but it was totally worth it.

The gnocchi is delicious and would reccomend trying when you go there

Favorite spot for Italian food in SF. Great pastas--they'll even let you try three at once if you ask. Warm, but modern, design.

Rude bar tender and the food was not as good as I was expecting it to be considering the price for 2 ppl dinner $150

Have visited many times over the past 6+ years and never disappointed. Great service, pasta, Italian wines and grappa.

There were four of us having dinner on a Monday night. A team meeting get together. Since most of us live out of town, several of us had flown into San Francisco just days previously. Via OpenTable we chose a place close to our hotel and several blocks away from the Ferry Building. The waiter was smart lovely and attentive. I believe her name was Joy. A pretty middle aged woman with a young heart. she served us like an artist, paying attention to details and answering our many questions of the food and wine menus. Within moments our table was brought rolls and a delicious Italian wine. The rolls were heavy with a thick crust. I enjoyed tearing them apart and dipping them in olive oil. The wine, a Donn Michele Nerello Mascalese, lubricated our conversation and we spoke about our travels, the wine and what food we were to order for our main course. I chose Casoncei. A beet pasta filled with alta langa goat cheese and braised greens golden beets / toasted walnuts. I could not get enough and wanted to ask for seconds. The facilities and dining room were clean and lively. Lots of diners enjoying a meal out on a Monday night must speak to how well this establishment serves it's clients.

Excellent Italian food with amazing desserts. Also the Dark chocolate was to die for.

Fine wone, pretty presentation, and good taste too!

Yummy food and great service. Just as one would expect.

Good food though a bit pricey. Noise level was medium/high in the dining room.

I dream about this place. I love the pasta with the short ribs. Everything I've ever ordered from here has been awesome. The staff is very professional as well.

Excellent service. True Italian fine-dining. Every dish skillfully prepared.

Great food and wine menu, worth a visit and will go back

An authentic Italian place right in the heart of downtown. Amazing food, personable and lively staff, passionate owners. But the place was a little cramped and crowded. There was barely any room to walk without bumping into something...

Food was amazing, but our server Brian made the whole experience over the top. He was energetic, super enthusiastic about the food and I could tell he would have joined us if we asked him to!

Delicious pasta and risotto! Also the grilled octopus appetizer was great!

There were a few disappointments up front that influenced my experience. First, I couldn't shake the feeling that because of my appearance (cut off shorts after a bike ride which I promptly changed out of and into pants in the restroom), we were stuck way in the back corner despite having other open tables. Second the bread they brought out was cold, hard & tough, which caught me off guard. And third the serving cadence was off as next courses were brought while we were still eating. I may come off sounding like a snob, but when I go to a nicer restaurant, I want it to be seamlessly enjoyed.

Otherwise... the food was interesting and flavorful, and our server was extremely personable and helpful. The decor downstairs seemed nice, but where we were seemed more like a hotel conference room, with our table pinned up next to heavy drapes to separate us from the private corporate event being held next door.

I would love to return, as I may just be in a bad mood. But next time I will dress to impress and request a table downstairs :)

UPDATE: I noticed later that they charged $8 for sparkling water. WTF?! They asked if we wanted sparkling or still water like most nice places... but who charges for it? Lame.

Great friendly service excellent menu and food preperation

Great Italian restaurant for a nice date night! The ambiance and service are both phenomenal. We made reservations about a week in advance, which I would recommend doing as nicer restaurants in San Francisco have a tendency to get booked up quick.

We got the following:

CARNE CRUDA - Delicious tartare that's a great appetizer before the pastas. It's a decent portion, so I'd suggest sharing if you get it.

PAPPARDELLE - this is probably one of the most delicious pastas I've had. HIGHLY RECOMMEND getting this one. There's a reason this is their most popular dish. The texture is the perfect amount of chewiness, and the slow cooked short rib ragu really adds a lot of flavor to the thin pappardelle pasta.

TAJARIN - This one was good too, but just not my taste. It's a lighter pasta that has less meat than the pappardelle. If you don't want anything too heavy, then go with the Tajarin.

Overall, a great place that is worth checking out for a nice date or a special occasion! Oh and just a heads up, the squid ink pasta that we saw on yelp (and part of the reason we wanted to eat here) isn't on their menu.

We had a big group however the staff were pretty rude. Top notch food and wine though

A SF dinning stable, great menu, great food that never disappoint. Trendy restaurants come and go, this one qualify as an "SF Institution".

A favorite spot for quality Italian food. Cool place to meet and catch up with coworkers. Service is consistently good. Prices were appropriate.

I've been here twice for drinks and apps and once for a full dinner, and I love it. All the food I've tried here has been absolutely delicious, and the wine tasty as well. Would definitely like to come back for a full dinner sometime.

Favorite dish was the raviola appetizer. Had it the first time I came, tried to get it again the second time but ended up with a different type of ravioli dish (one I loved was one large ravioli, the second one I tried was good, but not the same. Several small raviolis). Also love the frito misto app (had it both times!).

Staff is friendly, last time I was there our server even split the ravioli small plate we'd ordered onto two plates for us without asking.

Excellent service, excellent food. I'm not one to evaluate ambience, but it seemed fine.

I do not know what is better if the food or the attention

My friend and I came here on a Saturday night. We were ~20min late for our reservation and they were completely cool about it so that was a good start. We startd with breadsticks & a pesto salsa dip and bread & butter. The waitress gave us an incredibly comprehensive run-down of her favorite menu items. We ended up getting the short ribs as an appetizer (4 stars; relatively tender and flavorful but not mindblowing by any means), the veal pasta/agnolotti dal pli (3 stars; meh), and the tajarin (4 stars; yum, flavorful but the noodles reminded me of ramen noodles). Friend had a gin&tonic and I had the Madarin or something cocktail which was decent.

Overall, nice ambiance, location, service, but probably not worth the money.

Easily one of the best meals on a recent trip. Very knowledgeable staff and excellent wine list. Great for special occasions.

This was a first date. Service was just the right amount, patient but attentive. Salmon special was perfectly cooked and the fish was fresh. Portions large; we could of shared but that may of been odd on a first date....

Good place for a dinner.. $$$ but the food is good and place is nice.

Great food, great service, great location . . . can't get enough of this place!

Excellent service and splendid food at reasonable prices. The brussel sprouts side dish left a bit to be desired, but that's just because I prefer them crispy. Definitely try the mushroom truffle soup!

Simply amazing! Every single appetizer and main course we tried was unbelievably delicious.

Great caramel ice cream and rabbit ravioli. Loved it so much I ate a second meal. The duck entree is delightful.

A very nice and modern design, and the food was great as well

Other than a weird upstairs seating area that took away some atmosphere, the pasta and service was good. Even the starting salad was impressive as was the focaccia bread they served. Has the tagliatelle and it was the bomb.

The pappardelle served with braised short rib topped with shaved horseradish in my opinion is as good as it gets. If I ate it every day til I passed I would die fat and happy. Served with a glass of Brunello, rest in peace.

The atmosphere is nice. We were seated upstairs. The decor reminds me of a hotel on Miami Vice. I must say our server was excellent. She was friendly, knowledgeable, and patient. She recommended two bottles of very nice Italian wine. We started with the burrata and then had our own pasta...I had the pappardelle with braised lamb shoulder. I thought it was a little on the sweet side but I liked the peas and mint. All of the ingredients were very fresh. The menu is extensive and has something for everyone, but I didn't find it very creative. There are many Italian restaurants that serve similar dishes. I think it is reasonably priced. I would probably go back.

Solid Cal-Ital. Chef Stefano has been doing this for a long time so his flavors are time honored classics. Unfortunately the food is hit or miss depending on who's cooking in the kitchen.. a common story that is happening all over San Francisco. I'm not trying to deter you from going to Perbacco but understand that on a good night the food can be great but on other nights it can be "meh"

Beautifully appointed modern restaurant in the financial district. Cuisine of Italy was absolutely delicious. The wait staff was everything to expect of fine dining. Highly recommend the signature cocktail. The pappardelle dish I ordered as perfectly done. I will be back.

Solid upscale Italian fare. Pretty decent overall. Large but not overly noisy

We had a fabulous dinner at Perbacco - everything we had was great, even the bread was noteworthy. Everything was beautifully presented. Dining room is very sleek and modern..

We ended up with the table next to the kitchen, which was great for the foodies at the table - I would request it again.

Notable dishes included the pesce crudo, the roasted octopus, and the tartar for appetizers. The spinach "rags" was yummy, as was the risotto with duck liver (special). The rabbit over polenta and scallops were great.

Service was good and subtle. They kept the wine poured.

Really knowledgable wait staff (sommelier) and a cool ambiance. Been here twice and enjoyed two different risottos. They also have some tasty craft cocktails.

I went to Perbacco on Valentine's Day and had a wonderful experience. The food, the atmosphere, and the service were all outstanding. Their wine list (30+ pages) was very overwhelming but our server was kind enough to direct the sommelier over to our table. She provided an excellent recommendation for a bottle that we enjoyed very much. I had the pappardelle with short rib ragu which was tender and delicious. Although we ordered dessert, Perbacco also gave us some homemade marshmallows, chocolate, and nougat to take home with us. Overall, excellent experience for a special evening.

Pernacco is a truly special place, an Italian jewel in San Francisco.

Amazing, sophisticated and authentic Italian high quality cucina, with super friendly and polite staff, and beautiful, modern and welcoming atmosphere.

But the food... oh... and believe me. My bar for Sushi and Italian is pretty high.

You know that an Italian restaurant is REAL if either the cook or owner is Italian or first-generation. In this case, Mr. Umberto, an Italian gentleman, is a friendly owner and amazing host whose wife oversees the menu and kitchen.

Grazie, Signore Umberto, per aver creato questo eccellente ristorante e per essere stato un ospite eccezionale!!

We so enjoyed our meal at Perbacco. Our waitress, Tiffany, couldn't have been nicer, and the food was delicious. Wine was decently priced... the barbera was perfect.

Great food, horrendous service. We had a 90 person party and the first dish took 2 hours to come out. You d think they planned for that. No excuse either. So weird.

Great food and atmosphere. The tajarin is delicious.

I love this place for an after work solo happy hour. Many others here come solo for a drink and sometimes a bite at the bar. The bartender is always attentive and has a calm cool demeanor that would make anyone feel relaxed after a long day at work. The bar itself is gorgeous, a classic warm wood color and a cold white marble for the tops.

A Tajarin pasta and a glass of wine or old fashioned would be my go to order here. Im a pasta girl and this is one of my favorite pastas ever.

Good spot for all who like Italian food!

Cause COVID-19 we ordered online, super-easy way to grab some cool food for the evening.



This was my 1st experience here and I think pasta Pappardelle is my favorite now for sure. Let it be a good reason to come back and try something else.

Love this place. Classic can t go wrong type of Italian spot. All their truffle dishes are delicious, especially the ravioli! YUM

Outstanding menu, extensive wine list. A bit loud, though.

Excellent quality of the dishes, unbeatable attention!

Phenomenal pasta dishes, highly recommend sitting upstairs, great service, nice ambiance.

Lovely food. Good service. Menu changes seasonly.

Excellent place for a lunch meeting in the FIDI. Their pasta and seafood options are impeccable. Portions are just right even for a hearty eater like myself.

I especially liked their gnocchi and dessert options. The hazelnut cookies and rhubarb finished off nicely with a cup of tea or coffee.

Good atmosphere to conduct an casual business lunch. Tables are nicely spaced and the upstairs seating is bright and welcoming.

Umberto and Stefan are an unbeatable team. This spot has been here since 2006. How did we get along, for so long, without it?

Went for lunch with friends and we all had hand made pasta, it was amazing and the portions are huge. Great service, highly recommended!

Excellent lunch! Best we've had since getting here! This is genuine Italian food. The greeter barely knows English she was such a sweet hostess! I had a Chicken Alfredo and she had Chicken Marsala. The meal came out quick and perfect and service was the same! This was the perfect place for a birthday lunch! Luca and Olympia were the best! I can't give them six stars but I would if I could!!

Unbelievable food. Consistent through the years. It's always a must stop when visiting San Francisco!

Great menu with large selection of dishes. Appreciated the available option of ordering half portion of pasta in order to leave room for a main meat dish. Excellent wine selection, from affordable wines sold in small carafes to more costly, exquisite wines. Service staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. I first visited Perbacco in 2007 and have been back several times since then. It continues to impress.

Another wonderful dinner on June 20. Although we didn't get the coveted corner table for two, my companion and I had a fantastic meal accompanied by stellar service. Keep up the great work!